BW creates Waterway Standards Advisory Panel

Simon Salem, BW’s marketing and customer service director, who will chair the Waterway Standards Advisory Panel, says: “Our standards clearly define what boaters and other waterway visitors can expect from BW. They will bring many benefits to customers and help increase efficiency. It makes sense to harness the expertise from within and outside of BW and, following discussion with boating interest groups, I’m keen to put in place a mechanism to ensure that monitoring and further development of our standards is done with effective input from the trade, other waterway interest groups, and our own staff.”

It has been proposed that the panel will meet a couple of times each year, or as needed, to formulate the method by which British Waterways’ achievement of the standards can be monitored. The panel will also review progress in compliance with the standards, and recommend to BW additions or modifications that can be made to achieve maximum benefit from BW’s expenditure on maintaining the waterways.

Simon Salem continues: “My intention is for the panel’s recommendations to carry serious weight in BW’s annual business planning and works programming.”

British Waterways is currently liaising with waterway interest groups about setting up the panel; however at this stage it is envisaged that it will comprise an equal mix of trade representatives, members of consumer groups and BW staff members, such as bank staff and lock keepers.

The 81 customer service standards are published on British Waterways’ website and available from the customer services team.